The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1887-02-17
Living Among the Marshes and cac-
tus Plants.
Water Brought from an island Seven
Miles Away.
The colonIsts Without Money or
Postage Stamps.

A letter has been received in this city from
Mr.. NJ. II. Chase, one of the Portland party
of Sinaloa colonists. The letter was written
on the ninth Of January, and was addressed
to Mr.. Chase's brother 1t was about
month in reaching its destination. The let
ter was written in pencil, and some of the
words were badly blurred. the paper evil
nently having seen hard usage. In preyi-
GUS short letter, written from Guaymas, Mr..
Chase said that there the eolonists were well
received. The mayor read them an address
of welcome, and n serenade was rendered
them on every evening of their stay. The
steamer promised by the Credit Foncier Com
pany, however, was not there, and the colo
nists, after purchasing three months provis-
ions, had chartered a French ship at cost
of 50 person, to carry them to their desti-
nation. In the letter written from Topolo-
bampo Bay, Mr.. Chase says:
"We arrived at our destination Thursday
january 81 / confess was somewhat dis
appointed with the appearance of what j
supposed was the site of the future city
Since have found that it is only a part OF
1t, | am better satisfied with it. We are 10.
on the Straits of Joshua, which, if you re.
member, connect the inner harbor witt
TopoloDampo Bay. 1t is where they pro
pose TO have the railroad come down. Il
looks as though 1t would require considera
BILE work to cut through these hills but
suppose everything is possible. The city
| site proper Is about six or seven miles east
of our present location. There are two
hills between which are 600 or 70(
feet high. | should think the site is almost
as level as floor. They say there is a rise
of three feetto mile, but it does not seem
so. The spring tides overflow part of il
and there is no growth whatever on that
part-just level, sandy plane, about 10 feet
above high water mark.
A little further to the east is kind OF
table land three or four feet higher which
extends with gradual rise clear to the
mountains Around here cactus is found
but the land bears little, ii any, grass.
They have done a lot of work here clear
ing off these hills There don't seem to be
anything but rocks and cactus trees. | I'm.
derstand that we shall have to go to til,
river. There is where we should be now
We could not live in tents in the wet season
and we can not build on the city site unit
the water has been brought to it. Water il
our greatest bugbear. We get plenty t,
drink and cook with but are not allowed t,
wash with it. We use salt water altogether
for that purpose. The water we have /,
good and cool, not very far behind the Seba
go. We get it from an island seven milel
away. 1t is said that in the rainy season
the high tides flow into it and make it brack.
ish. That is why we shall haze to so to the
river to locate. The company have som,
property there | believe.
am in pretty good health, yet with a COLI
that shall not get rid Of until we get into
tent or something to sleep in, where Their,
won't be quite SO much draught. TIL,
| weather in the middle of the day is lilx
June. At night 1t is like November. Their
are very heavy dews, which wet the tent
like rain. | don't think the situation /
hardly what it is represented. 1t will talk
years and years to build city here. w,
cannot get water from the river, as it is to,
far away. They have road cut, and it il
fifty miles by that road. The only thing Il
be done is to locate on the river and try ane
support ourselves until the company can ge
things to enable US to build on the city site
There are no tools or anything here now
shall not be able to write as often as | ex
pected. Stamps are scarce and money {
sight scarcer. We Clipped in all we had a
Guaymas to buy provisions, and it is prett,
scarce article in this camp at present.